Oh nuts! Now pistachios are being recalled

The Food and Drug Administration has made its third recall of pistachio nuts in less than a week. In today's recall, the Kroger Co. said it is recalling Private Selection Shelled Pistachios sold in its family of retail stores because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. The pistachios are being removed from shelves in stores under the following names in 31 states: Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Fry's, King Soopers, Smith's, Dillons, QFC, City Market, Foods Co., Jay C, Scott's, Owen's, Baker's, Gerbes, Hilander and Pay Less.

Specifically, the recalled nuts are Private Selection Shelled Pistachios sold in 10-ounce containers with a "Sell by" date of DEC-13-09 and DEC-14-09 with the UPC Code: 11110 73615. They were sold in Kroger-owned stores in the following states: Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

So far no illnesses have been associated with the recall. The source of the salmonella has not been identified although a television station in Sacramento, California is reporting that a pistachio supplier is under investigation by the California Department of Public Health. The other two pistachio recalls include:

• Back to Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix. The nuts were sold in 28 oz. bags, UPC code 59283-00020 and a “best by” date between 08 20 09 and 12 12 09; and 10 oz. bags, UPC code 59283-31039 and a “best by” date between 11 04 09 and 12 12 09.
• Georgia Nut Company bulk wholesale and retail products. The nuts were sold in a variety of stores in Illinois and Wisconsin in bulk or custom-packaged bags between December 5 and March 25. See the recall notice for more details.

The pistachio recall is not associated with the ongoing salmonella outbreak that has been traced to the Peanut Corporation of America. But nut lovers should be aware that peanut products tainted by that recall are still being recalled every day. Be sure to check the FDA's database of recalled peanut products.